Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

I'm your cook, not your doctor. ~PAULA DEEN

I found out what the secret to life is: friends. Best friends. ~Ninny Threadgoode

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

These are truly one of the best chocolate chip cookies, producing a chewy textured cookie due to the higher ratio of brown sugar to granulated sugar. If you like more crisp to your cookie, exchange those ratios so you have more granulated sugar than brown sugar.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everybody has a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe that they think is the best. Well, this one is my go-to recipe and the only one that I have used for years. Would I go so far as to say that these are The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Ever?? Well, in my opinion, and solely mine, a resounding YES! These are truly at least, One of The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever!! It produces a chewy textured cookie due to the higher ratio of brown sugar to granulated sugar, but if you like more crisp to your cookie, try exchanging those ratios so you have more granulated sugar than brown sugar.

As flavor goes, butter is a superior fat for cookies, but can also create too much spread and often burned cookies. I like to use a combination of butter with shortening, which has a higher melting temperature and keeps the spread minimal. I also use a small cookie scoop which helps to keep these cookies a bit thicker. If you prefer more spread to your cookie, try upping the baking powder a bit. I also bake on parchment paper (or a Silpat), because rather than leaving the cookies on a hot baking pan while they set, you can slide the whole sheet of parchment directly off of the baking pan to cool and then once set, transfer them to a cooling rack and reuse the parchment sheet.

When measuring the flour, make sure that you do not compact it. Rather than using the measuring cup to scoop into a canister or flour bag, use a spoon or a smaller cup to scoop the flour into your measuring cup, then level with a knife. Scooping with the measuring cup compacts the flour, causing you to use too much and making for a dry and crumbly cookie.

I love having just a bit of pecan in my chocolate chip cookies, but don't worry ... there's plenty of chocolate here too, so it remains the star.

Bake half of the dough and roll up the rest in wax paper, store in a freezer bag and freeze whole for later.

Using a serrated knife, slice off cookies as desired, right out of the freezer and turning the roll occasionally to prevent flattening on the bottom. Bake as noted in original recipe, on parchment paper at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, or until edges are slightly browned. This results in a more flat cookie than using the scoop.

In a mixer bowl, cream the butter and shortening together on medium speed; add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat on low until well combined. Add the eggs, one a time, blending the first one in before adding the second. Add the vanilla.

Add the sifted flour mixture into the creamed mixture on low, a little at a time. Add the pecans and the chocolate chips and mix just until blended in.

Put dough into refrigerator and chill for at least 1 to several hours. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and using a small cookie scoop, scoop dough onto the parchment. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes, or until edges just barely begin to brown. Rotate and/or turn the cookie sheets about halfway through.

Remove from oven and slide the parchment off onto a cooling rack allowing the cookies to rest on the parchment for about 3 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to allow to fully cool and reuse parchment paper to continue baking though the entire batch.

I always forget to count (or maybe I eat too many in the process) but I think this makes about 4 dozen, depending on how large you make them.

Cook's Notes: Make sure that you do not compact the flour when measuring. Rather than using the measuring cup to scoop into a canister or flour bag, use a spoon or a smaller cup to scoop the flour into your measuring cup, then level with a knife. Scooping with the measuring cup compacts the flour, causing you to use too much flour and making for a dry and crumbly cookie. This recipe as written produces a chewy textured cookie due to the higher ratio of brown sugar to granulated sugar, but if you like more crisp to your cookie, try exchanging those ratios so you have more granulated sugar than brown sugar. Do not overcook.

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stop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I could reach right in the there and grab one or two or 4 of these...they look really good. I like the thickness of them. Thanks for the tips, next time I will try this recipe..I bet your home smelled soooooooooooo good as the aroma of these beauties floated around.........mmmmmmmm.

Mary, I made these over the weekend and they were a huge hit with my family. The chill time was the hardest part for me as I couldn't keep my husband out of the raw dough. I had to keep scolding him to put the bowl back in the refrigerator :). I used to be able to make cake-like cookies from the recipe on the chip bag (years and years ago) but it seems something changed. I thought it could be the high elevation we live at so I've been using the different ratios on the bag. I still wasn't able to achieve the cake-like texture I was looking for until I tried this recipe! Thanks for the explanations you gave about shortening and butter too and thanks for sharing your recipes with us!

In the recipe it calls for 2 tsp. baking powder, but above you mentioned upping the amount of soda (if you want more spread) which I didn't see listed in the recipe ingredients. Was that a typo? I don't want more spread, but I wanted to make sure I'm not leaving something out. Thank You!

You certainly could, however, it will be a different cookie! Shortening helps to provide height and lightness in this recipe. Butter has a low melting point, so using all butter instead will result in a cookie that spreads fast when baking and giving you a thinner, flatter cookie that is more crisp. Of course, I do like the taste of butter too so I like the combination here as a compromise!

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